Russia warns of new flu strains prompting urgent vaccination for vulnerable groups

Russia’s health authorities emphasise the urgent need for early vaccination this season, as new flu strains with little immunity threaten vulnerable populations amid evolving viral variants.

Russia’s health authorities are warning that this year’s flu season is being driven by strains that people have little or no immunity to, making early vaccination more important than usual. According to the Ministry of Health, the circulating viruses include variants that are new to the population, while Dmitry Lioznov, who heads the Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, said all three components of the seasonal flu vaccines have been replaced to match the updated threat.

The guidance is aimed most urgently at children, pregnant women, older adults and people with chronic conditions, who face the highest risk of serious complications if they catch influenza. Health officials are urging these groups, and anyone who may come into close contact with them, not to delay vaccination. The message is straightforward: when the virus changes, protection has to change too.

That concern is reinforced by long-running expert warnings about the speed at which influenza evolves. Gennady Onishchenko, an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and deputy president of the Russian Academy of Education, has said a new pandemic influenza strain could emerge before 2029. His argument is that the virus keeps mutating in ways that may help it become more aggressive and better able to evade human immunity.

The broader surveillance picture suggests the season is already active. Russian health authorities reported more than 727,000 cases of acute respiratory infections and flu in the 39th week of 2026, although they said most were caused by non-flu viruses. Even so, officials caution that influenza patterns can change quickly, and the updated vaccine is meant to reduce the risk before the next wave gathers pace.